Android Auto’s latest beta is doing two things at once: giving the app a new green look, and quietly planting the seeds for a more useful dashboard interface.
The Android Auto 17.6 update has started rolling out with a redesigned icon that swaps the long-running blue branding for a fresh green version. It’s a small change in practical terms, but you’ll notice it in a few places where Android Auto still surfaces an app icon — most notably in the app switcher and some notification areas. Google also appears to have updated the Android Auto website to match, which is usually a good sign that a visual change is moving beyond a stray test build.
That green theme doesn’t stop at the icon. The settings screen now picks up a matching accent color, and the wordmark has been tweaked as well. If you’re used to Android Auto’s older blue identity, this is one of those updates that feels oddly noticeable precisely because it doesn’t change how the system works. It just makes the whole product look a little more current.
There’s a little more happening under the hood, though. Google is also laying groundwork for Quick Settings tiles inside Android Auto, starting with a Do Not Disturb control. Strings found in the app reference toggles and on/off toast messages, and the interface seems poised to surface these controls in the notification tray. That fits Android Auto much better than a lot of the experimental features Google has teased over the years. A one-tap DND switch is the kind of thing drivers could actually use.
That’s not the only hidden test buried in the app. Google also appears to have left a joke in the code tied to “Jimothy,” the viral raccoon meme. Enable the flag and Android Auto reportedly shows a weather-themed overlay with Jimothy, current conditions, and the temperature layered above the music widget. It’s funny, ridiculous, and almost certainly not headed for a real release. Still, it’s the kind of playful Easter egg that reminds you there are real people poking around in these builds.
The weather bit is especially amusing because Android Auto has long been a bit inconsistent when it comes to surfacing useful contextual info. Google has already been testing broader dashboard changes elsewhere, and work on Android Auto’s bigger refresh suggests the company is inching toward a more capable interface overall. A built-in weather surface would fit that direction nicely — even if Jimothy probably won’t.
This update also lands not long after Google started pushing a redesigned Android Auto logo into the wild. Put together, the green branding and the new settings accent feel like part of a broader cleanup pass, while the Quick Settings work points to a more functional car UI still being assembled piece by piece.
For now, the real-world changes are modest. Most users won’t see the new icon everywhere yet, and the Quick Settings feature remains tucked away in testing. But Android Auto 17.6 is one of those updates that tells you where Google’s attention is aimed: simpler controls, a fresher visual identity, and a few surprises hidden in the code for anyone willing to dig.
